CPJ condemns smoke bomb attack on weekly paper

At around 1:30 p.m. on May 23, unidentified assailants threw a smoke bomb into Ravaya's office compound, located in Maharagama, a southern suburb of the capital city Colombo. No serious damage was caused.

The smoke bomb, a non-lethal weapon, was of a type commonly used by Sri Lankan security forces and is not available to the general public, police told the BBC.

Ravaya editor Victor Ivan, who has been an outspoken critic of the administration, told CPJ that he thinks the bomb attack was intended as a warning. "My feeling is that this is only a signal," he said. "This is a small thing, but journalists have also been killed in Sri Lanka—and nothing happens."

In October 2000, gunmen believed to be associated with a pro-government militia assassinated Mylvaganam Nimalarajan, a Jaffna-based journalist who worked for several news organizations, including the BBC. To date, the government has made no serious efforts to bring his killers to justice.

Ravaya editor Victor Ivan, who has been an outspoken critic of the administration, told CPJ that he thinks the bomb attack was intended as a warning. "My feeling is that this is only a signal," he said. "This is a small thing, but journalists have also been killed in Sri Lanka—and nothing happens."

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